Glenrose Xaba (Boxer) has made history by becoming the first South African to win the SPAR Women’s Challenge Grand Prix title since 2019, when international athletes were admitted to the Series. Xaba clinched the position on Sunday, with an emphatic win in the Jozi SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge at Marks Park.
Three-times SPAR Grand Prix winner, Tadu Nare (Nedbank) was edged into third place on the SPAR Grand Prix log by her fellow Ethiopian and teammate, Diniya Abaraya.
Each athlete’s top four performances were used to determine this year’s winner, and Xaba finished with a perfect score of 120 points, with four wins with maximum bonus points for each. Xaba was also the last South African to win the SPAR Grand Prix, in 2018.
Abaraya finished with 112 points, one ahead of Nare, who had 111. Nare missed the Cape Town race, but won in Durban, finished third in Pretoria, and second in Gqeberha and Johannesburg. Abaraya missed the Tshwane race, but was fifth in Durban, second in Cape Town and Gqeberha and third in Johannesburg. There is currently no Junior GP competition.
Cacisile Sosibo (Boxer) finished in fourth place, with 72 points. The Phalula twins, Diana-Lebo Phalula-Mzazi and Lebogang Phalula-Luthuli, (Boxer) dominated the 40-49 category, with Phalula-Mzazi achieving a perfect score of four wins with maximum points for a total of 40, while Phalula-Luthuli had one win and four seconds for a total of 37 points. Phalula-Mzazi was seventh in the open category and her sister was ninth.
In the category for runners between 50 and 59, Anne Stewart fell one short of a perfect 40, with 39, from three wins and a second place, while Judy Bird aced the 60-69 category by winning every race with maximum points.